The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1887-10-26
THE MAINE STATE PRESS.
CARE OF BIRDS.
Useful Advice for the care OF the
Pets.
NEW York Post.1


this action is to rid the bread Of the bugs,
the beetle of the meal-worm, habit that be
comes so fixed in course of time that even al
ter becoming landsmen, and living on sof
bread, the tapping habit is still kept up.
The raising Of meal-worms for dealers II
cage-birds in the large cities is mostly car
ried on by Germans, who make considerable
profit by it. The methodIof raising them IL
very simple. Both the beetle and the larva
which is the meal-worm, can as a rule be OBJ
tanned in feed stores. feed stables, bakeries,
and mills. A dozen Of each are sufficient
these are placed in an old fruit can into the
sides Of which numerous sma II perforation:
have been made. On the bottom Of the car
is placed an inch layer Of bran and meal mix.
ed. In this first layer few meal-wOrms are
placed,Dext comes a layer Of three thickness.
SEES of flannel or wOllen cloth, then a LAYER OF
old biscuit or stale bread broken into very
small pieces, in which more meal-worms and
few of the beetles are placed. And so Law
er after layer Is built up till the top of the
can Is reached, which is covered over with
mosquito netting or old muslin, to prevent
the perfect beetles from making their es-
cape. The can Is then placed in a dark
warm, slightly damp location. When supply
ing the meal-worms with fluid food, which
they require once month, sheets Of straw
paper soaked in new ale or sweetened tea are
introduced between the layers Of cloth
these sheets of paper they will eagerly de-
malt liquor, tea, or sugar.
The price paid for worms in New York
ranges from ten to twelve cents per hundred
and the price asked by bird dealers Is twenty
cents per hundred. This may seem exorbi-
tant, but the trouble Of feeding them, hunt.
ing them up between the layers of flannel
and of counting these nimble and slippery
creatures is, after all, considerable. The
mea-wOrm is fed to sOft-billed or insect-eat-
ing cage birds. When mocking bird or robin
ceases to sing, acts mopish, and rutfs up its
feathers, the first medicine prescribed by q
bird dealer Is liberal diet of meal-wOrms.
With seed eating birds the only kindslI know
that meal-w0rms are fed to occasionally are
the cardinals and canaries for soft billed
birds the usual number given Is from six to
eight day.
In Russia and Germany there Is a variety
of large ants living on the outskirts Of pine
forests whose eggs are greatly valued as a
specific diet for all soft-billed birds The
method of taking the ants eggs Is very inter-
esting. These particular ants construct
nests consisting of pine needles, sticks, and
earth, always situated on the dry and sunny
outskirts of pine forest Each ant-hill Is
from two to three feet in height, and from
five to six feet In diameter. When an ant
Eill is discovered, the egg collector punches
1t with sharp-pointed stick this so alarms
the ants that they rush to the egg-chambers.
which are situated at the surface of the ant
hill where the heat Of the sun hastens the
Matching of the eggs, and each ant grasping an
egg in its mandlbles, hastens to convey it Ia
place Of safety. In the meantime the egg
collector has placed masses of oak or otheI
large leaves about the smooth ground sur
rounding the base Of the ant-hill, on these
small stones and lnmps of earth are placed
to press them down somewhat closely to the
earth, and also to keep them stationary. A:
each ant PUSHES from the nest with an egg
its first anxiety is to find a place of security
wherein to deposit it, and coming in contact
with the leaves, it passes under them, depos-
its the egg, and hastens back to the hill for
another. As each community Of ants con-
sists OF many hundreds, the egg chambers
are soon emptied. The collector, when pos
tive that all the eggs have been taken out Of
the nest, pours sailed water on 1t for the
purpose Of preventing the ants from convey
ing their eggs back to the nest during his alb
senee, when visiting his line of ant-hills,
which may extend mile or so. On reaching
the last ant-hill on his route, he proceeds to
gather the eggs In a wooden pail, and so
works backwards to the first hill. As rule
the ants finding their home saturated with
salt water, proceed to collect all the eggs I'M
der the leaves into mass, so that the work
ing ants may go forth and prepare suitable
and safe place wherein to deposit them till a
new ant-hill Is constructed.
The eggs are either sun-dried or cured in an
open oven OF moderate temperature, to pre-
vent them from 's0uring.". In this city inn
ported ants eggs are sold at wholesale for
90 cents pound, and at retail for 81. All
ants eggs come either from Russia or Ger
many. Ants eggs are fed to birds In the
same proportion Of bulk as are meal-worms
One of the most curious and new Of all
bird special diets consists of cured Mexican
mosquitoes, which being low flyers, rise in
masses during evening time, when the MAS
matte vapor begins to lift from swampy and
low grounds. For capturing these masses of
light upright framework of
branches is constructed, on which are fasten-
ed large sheets of paper made from some
coarse vegetable fibre peculiar to.the country !;
on both sides Of the sheets Of paper a coating
of sticky vegetable glue Is spread, which is
soluble in warm water. The clouds OF mos
quitoes moving with the wind strike these
distractions and become fastened to the
sheets of paper, which after re-
naming up all night, are taken down and
placed in tubs of warm water, which soon
dissOlves the glue and sets the dead mosqui-
toes free. These are collected in strainers
and, after being sun-dried, are put up in
packages.
Up to the present time, bird dealers say
the cured Mexican mosquito, as a special diet
for birds, has not come into much favor with
Dliu lONlHB IntN SLduu Dy the
meal-worm and the German ants eggs.
Regarding the well-kDown substance called
cuttlefsh-bOne, there exists an erroneous i'm
preston, quite general, that the only use of
the cuttlebone for birds Is as bill sharpen
er and bill cleaner. This Is not so. All seed
eating birds like it for its slightly salt quality
it seems to please their taste just as the
piece Of lean salt bacon often hung in cage
containing canaries, or the piece OF salt cod
fish given to pigeons. German breeders say
the salt acts as a mild tonic and increases the
relish for food. Cuttlebone is also eaten by
the hen bird when laying, the carbonate Of
lime going to form the shell material for her
eggs; fer the same purpose domestic poultry
are supplied with crushed bone and oyster
shells. In case cage birds are not supplied
with gravel they will eat the cuttlebone as
substitute, to digest or grind up the food con-
tainedthe gzzards.
In the streets Of all large cities In England
groundsel Is cried about from door to door.
IL Is one OF the most plentiful weeds, a
cCarse-lOOking annual about q foot nigh,
branched, and slightly unpleasant in od0r /;
the tender leaves, buds, and seeds have a
saltish taste, and all cage birds like it. 1t is
to be found from the New England States
TO Pennsylvania, where it was introduced in
colonial times. The English plantain Grey
is one OF the most thoroughly naturaliZed of
all English weeds, and is to be found grow
ing about dwellings and farmhouses. On ae-
count OF ltS IOllOWlng the early pioneers and
settlers, the Indians named 1t the white
mans foot" The part Of the plantain most
liked by birds Is the long green flower spike
when it Is in seed, though some varieties of
birds like also the young and tender leaves
know of many young bird fanciers who Law
in stock of plantain every fall for winters
use. All large seed dealers keep or can pFo-
cure the seeds Of the groundsel. The seeds
or roots of the plantain and chickweed, an
other favOrite green diet with birds, can be
obtained on the outskirts Of all large cities,
In winter watercress and lettuce given 10
the birds once week will be foand 10 be
very acceptable.
In the way of dried fruits for winter use,
black currants, such as are used in cakes,
when well washed aud soaked an they swell,
and the small, stoneleSs raisln, are used by
bird fanciers, Also dried wild cherries,
pokeherTies, cedarberries, and ederberries
are stored up during the summer and fail for
winter use by all large bird fanciers; these
can be gathered during the fall gathering Oh
autumn leaves.
To keep earth-worms fQg robins, thrushes,
and other birds for several days, plaeedlthem
in an eIupty tlOwer-pOt. the drainage-hOle at
the bottom of which has been closed with a
cork, fill the pot with coarse grass, which
has been cut into lengths of an inch, dampen
the grass and and place them In it, When so
treated. thew will keen for 81 lnng time IN n